Dem Senator Booker Defends 'Peaceful' Rioters, Blasts Trump for Deploying National Guard [WATCH]

Senator Cory Booker (D-NJ) criticized President Donald Trump on Sunday during an appearance on NBC’s Meet the Press, claiming the president’s decision to deploy the National Guard to Los Angeles could escalate tensions at protests sparked by recent immigration enforcement actions.

Booker stated that the deployment was not requested by local officials and went against what he called “generations of tradition.”

“Look, since years before I was born, law enforcement knows it’s good when there’s cooperation and coordination,” Booker said.

“For the president to do this, when it wasn’t requested, breaking with generations of tradition, is only going to incite the situation and make things worse.”

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The senator went on to tie the decision to Trump’s handling of the January 6, 2021, Capitol breach.

“We are now at a point where we have a president who sat back and did nothing as people stormed our Capitol, viciously beat police and then, when those people who viciously beat police and led to some of their deaths, therefore cop killers, were convicted by juries, he then pardoned them all,” Booker said.

“Trump refused to call in the National Guard on January 6”

Reality: Pelosi refused to deploy the National Guard.

She literally admits it here. pic.twitter.com/g2jSwe5ovN

— Spitfire (@DogRightGirl) June 8, 2025

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Booker acknowledged that any violence against law enforcement should not be tolerated, but insisted that the protests in Los Angeles were largely peaceful.

“The reality is we see peaceful protests launching in Los Angeles, and again, any violence against police officers should not be accepted, so authorities can handle that,” he said.

According to Booker, the protests were driven by recent immigration enforcement actions carried out by U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement.

He claimed President Trump had broken his own enforcement promises by targeting individuals who were not violent offenders.

“Remember, a lot of these peaceful protests are being generated because the president of the United States is sowing chaos and confusion by arresting people who were showing up for their immigration hearings, who are trying to abide by the law,” Booker said.

He further alleged that the enforcement actions were occurring in areas with strong Republican support, leading to backlash from Trump’s own base.

“You see this in communities that are Republican, Trump supporters being outraged that he’s raiding kitchens and arresting people, high schools and arresting people which he said he would not do,” Booker added.

“Focus law enforcement resources on violent criminals and people that are a danger to other Americans.”

President Trump announced the deployment of 2,000 National Guard troops to Los Angeles on Sunday in response to unrest that broke out after ICE raids on undocumented migrants.

According to federal authorities, the raids were part of a coordinated operation targeting individuals with outstanding removal orders.

The protests that followed turned violent, with at least one person arrested for allegedly throwing a Molotov cocktail that injured three officers.

Additional arrests were made in connection with the unrest.

The White House has maintained that the use of the National Guard is necessary to restore order and assist local law enforcement amid ongoing violence.

California Governor Gavin Newsom criticized the deployment as “purposefully inflammatory,” arguing it would escalate tensions.

The “wrong mission” is letting federal agents get attacked while you do nothing. Trump stepped up because you wouldn’t. https://t.co/f7iMHZSOIE

— Clown World ™ 🤡 (@ClownWorld_) June 8, 2025